A recent sound reinforcement upgrade at the 300-capacity sanctuary of First United Methodist Church, located in the south-central Kentucky city of Somerset, is headed by Martin Audio TORUS constant curvature loudspeakers in a project managed by Kentucky-based integration firm JCA Media, which counts houses of worship as one of its core segments.
“The church first reached out in November 2019 after seeing our work on Facebook, but then COVID intervened,” reports Peake. “In fact I was quoting this installation six or eight months before TORUS came out and had a different brand specified. But with a throw distance of around 70 feet, the client was reluctant to have another delay system — they wanted the new system tucked in and tidy and didn’t want anything visible on the floor.”
In demoing other single point source options, Peake found he was losing volume at the back of the room, adding, “but TORUS changed all that.” JCA Media was already quite familiar with Martin Audio — when the CDD series with coaxial differential dispersion technology was first introduced, the integration firm immediately jumped onboard and has since deployed systems utilizing a variety of CDD models, including weatherized versions.
“I knew TORUS would be perfect for a medium-throw application such as this and it was also minimally obtrusive,” Peake states. The design to deliver even coverage over the 300 seats, in two service styles, iss based around a three-box hang driven in one-box resolution from an iKON iK81 process control amplifier.
A single T1230 at the base of the hang provides 90-degree coverage, with the top two T1215s running at 60 degrees. “This was to keep the sound off the ceiling and walls, and it enabled us to control the horizontal dispersion,” he explains. “The horizontal waveguide would tighten up the sound disappearing up into the vaulted all-wood ceiling and at the same time would eliminate the need for a front fill. So it all came into play perfectly and provided multiple solutions.”
The cardioid SXCF118 subwoofer flown behind the hang has also proven to fit the design criteria very well. Peake: “The SXCF118 blew our minds. That vaulted ceiling almost served like a natural horn, with the single 18-inch vibrating off the ceiling.”
Meanwhile, four Blackline X8 handle stage monitoring, while downstairs for a smaller, separate area that hosts more contemporary services, an ancient system was replaced with CDD6 loudspeakers in a left-center-right configuration aned joined by an SX112 sub tucked away on a semi-portable stage.
“The Martin Audio array and amps are amazing,” concludes church technical director Aaron Denney. “They provide targeted coverage in every row of the pews. They have more than met project goals and greatly exceeded our expectations. One staff member referred to it as a ‘300 times improvement’ for a space that has many complicated issues when it comes to live sound. All in all, a job well done.”
